Strike of the Heart
by follow you into the night
Summary: A new enemy strikes at the party of the century, catching everybody by surprise. How will the boys cope when suddenly its up to the girls to save them, and are the girls ready to retaliate without the Weapon Mistress to help hold them together. Barriers will be stripped away, and confessions will be made... NejiTen ShikaIno NaruHina SasuSaku
1. Troublesome Dresses

_**So here is my newest story idea! Basically this chapter is the lead up to the party and after that is when all of the fun starts (at least for me as a writer, not so much for the characters)**_

_** Not much couple stuff in this one, but just wait until I get to the party scene! ;p**_

_**I hope y'all enjoy!**_

It was the party of the century, as Ino made a point of announcing every couple of minutes while the four kunoichi tried on dress after dress. Frankly, Tenten could care less what kind of party it was. She didn't care for the loud pulsing music, the sweaty bodies dancing in time to the beat, or the list of invitees, and she definitely did not care for the skin-tight dresses that all of the kunoichi of Konoha were expected to wear.

Tenten currently stood inside of a cramped dressing room that Ino had only moments before been pushing her into as Tenten held onto the outside world with the jaws of life. Each rack had at least five dresses hanging in all multitudes of color. "How troublesome; now I know how Shikamaru must feel."

A loud bang on her door alerted Tenten to the fiery blonde's presence outside. "Tenten! Stop complaining and just put the dresses on! You're the only one who hasn't found a dress yet."

She sighed, pulling the first dress, a one shoulder, sky-blue number, off of its hanger. Ino was right; the other three girls had all managed to find a dress in no time, whereas Tenten had continually put it off. Ino was going to wear a dazzling purple dress that showed of just a bit too much cleavage and had a long slit coming up the thigh. She looked beautiful in it, and there was no doubt in Tenten's mind that a group of boys would line up for the chance to dance with her. Sakura, deciding against wearing her predictable red, chose a silver dress with pink waves tactfully sewn in a slash across her chest. Always the most conservative, Hinata's dress, though tight on the curves, managed to keep everything completely left to the imagination in a dark blue dress. It managed to accentuate the girl's graceful and poignant mannerisms. (Well at least until Naruto shows up.)

Luckily, time flew by quickly as the pile of no's stacked up. Ino was convinced that that a dress was supposed to compliment the wearer. In no time at all Tenten found herself back in the store, strolling through the many variations of dresses and looking for one that "spoke" to her.

"Tenten." Turning her head to the side, Tenten was a bit surprised to see her teammate and longtime friend standing among the vast amounts of dresses.

"Neji? What are you doing in a dress shop?"

"I was sent by Lord Hiashi to retrieve Hinata. She was supposed to be back at the compound an hour ago." Neji did a quick scan of the store as he spoke.

"Sorry, that's kind of my fault. Ino has had me locked inside the changing room trying on these tight excuses for clothing." Tenten motioned around her with a groan.

Neji smirked at her obvious irritation. "It is only for one night, Tenten. As much as we both despise tight clothing, it cannot be helped."

Rolling her eyes at his irritating logic, she merely huffed in reply. "I would have bought the first thing I tried on if Ino didn't insist on the dress matching my personality, whatever that's supposed to mean."

Looking thoughtfully around, Neji walked a few steps to the side, grabbing something, before coming around to her aisle. "Try this." Tenten narrowed her gaze at the dress. It was a deep maroon color, the same as her training outfit, with a metal embroidery wrapping gracefully around from just below the breast to the floor. Like Ino's, it only had one shoulder strap, however, this one did not dip to show cleavage, and the material was obviously made for movability.

Grateful for Neji's intrusion, Tenten swept foreword, taking the outfit from his outstretched hand. "Thanks, Neji. I'll send Hinata out so just wait here for a second." Tenten waved farewell to her teammate as he made his way to the check out desk to wait for his cousin.

* * *

A week later, Tenten found herself in an even worse hell than before. Ino and Sakura, armed with makeup and gunmetal nail polish, had Tenten cornered in the bathroom. Hinata, always the one to maintain peace, quietly soothed Tenten, managing to not only get her into a chair, but to also hold still as the two loud girls began to smear her face with all kinds of artificial products.

The end product, though uncomfortable, turned out to be well with the two hours of pulling and prodding. Each girl looked magnificent from head to toe. After refusing to wear her hair down like the others, Ino had pulled her hair into a graceful bun, with strands of hair curled in the front. It wasn't as comfortable as her usual panda-look, but at least she wouldn't constantly be pushing hair out of her face.

The four gathered in front of Ino's full length mirror, and for a moment, Tenten could hardly recognize the four faces staring back at her. Tonight, there would be no life or death battles, or unyielding training; they wouldn't have to worry about being tough around their comrades or getting their ninja gear dirty; tonight it was just four regular girls ready to show the world what they're made of.

Loud squealing erupted from the blonde and pinkette. "This is going to be so much fun! Wait till the boys see us! They are totally going to pass out!"

"Hell Ya! Sasuke, here I come!" Hinata paled at the mention of boys, allowing her head to fall to the ground. "Don't worry, Hinata." Sakura gently patted the Hyuga's back. "Once Naruto gets a look at you, he won't even remember what ramen is."

Hinata's face erupted into a deep blush. "B-but Naruto-kun loves r-ramen more than l-life itself."

Sakura gave an almost evil smirk. "Exactly." It was all the poor Hyuga could do to remain conscious.

Tenten, trying to save Hinata from any other talk of her longtime crush on Naruto, dove into the conversation. "Come on guys, the sooner we leave, the sooner I can wake up from this nightmare." Ino just rolled her eyes in exasperation before shuffling everyone down the stairs and out on the street.

Hooking the four kunoichi's arms together, Ino set the pace with the glowing intent to catch every gaze as they crossed through the city streets. Nervous about all of the stares, Tenten began sliding her arm out of Sakura's. "Hey guys, I'll see you at the party. I'm just going to go…this way!" The girls stared confusedly at Tenten as she motioned down a side street that led parallel from the ninja party.

"Why would you go that way by yourself when you could show up in style with your best friends?" Ino jutted her hip out to the side for emphasis.

Tenten scrambled her brain, trying to find an excuse that would allow her to escape the crowded streets and flee across the buildings at ninja speed. And then an image was molded in her mind, and before she could think it through, she blurted it out. "Neji!"

"W-what about Neji nii-san?"

"Oh, well I promised him that I would meet him by the gates of the compound. You go on ahead! I'll meet up with all of you when I- when we get there." Tenten flashed them all the most innocent smile she could muster, but jerked back at the evil smirks upon Sakura and Ino's faces.

"So you and Neji, huh? When did this happen?" Ino's smirk grew wider as a blush spread across Tenten's cheeks.

"W-Wha-"

"Don't deny it Tenten! I mean I knew that you and Neji were cozy, but I didn't realize that you two were THAT cozy!"

"Seriously Sakura! We are just walking together! We are friends, that doesn't mean that we are-are 'cozy'." Tenten's face darkened, and before any more thoughts popped into the two matchmakers' heads, she darted down the street, yelling see you later over her shoulder.

"Y-you two shouldn't tease her. Tenten is the kind of girl who will deny anything until she believes it herself. Even if she does like nii-san, she has probably already convinced herself that she is ill or something."

Both girls look crestfallen as what Hinata said sunk in. Tenten was the kind of girl who stayed away from parties, never opened up to anybody, and avoided 'girl talk' about boys like it was the plague.

"Okay, Hinata. You're right; we will leave her alone. But don't blame me if she accidently trips into him or something." Ino stuck her tongue out, then dragged the two girls off towards the party.

* * *

Tenten leaned back into the sturdy stone wall that surrounded the Hyuga compound. Not wanting to be a liar to her friends, Tenten had decided that she really would walk with Neji. It would be just like morning training, only with fewer weapons and tight, uncomfortable clothing.

"Tenten?" Blinking her eyes open, Tenten pushed herself away from the wall, stumbling a bit due to the heels she had been forced to wear.

"You don't mind jumping along the roofs, do you? The fewer people who see me in this outfit, the better." Tenten finally moved her gaze from her ankle the Hyuga genius' face, only to find his eyes gradually moving up her body, taking in her unfamiliar appearance. "Umm, Neji?"

She waved her hand and Neji's pure white orbs shot up to meet her hazel ones. "That color suits you." A faint blush once again adjourned Tenten's face as she realized that this was the first compliment her teammate had given her after five years of friendship.

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself. I especially like the new wrapping." Tenten stepped closer to Neji, tapping his forehead where he had covered the curse seal with black wrappings. If she had paid more attention to his face, she would have caught the slightest bit of pink under his pale skin. "So…the roofs?"

Neji recovered from the temporary spell that had befallen him, and gave the slightest of smiles at Tenten's antics. Here she was, glowing brighter than any star in the universe, and she couldn't care less how bewitched he was by her beauty. She didn't care if by leaping across the buildings, her hair would be ruined and her dress would be crinkled. She was beyond oblivious to it all.

Yet, despite all the thoughts running through his mind, Neji lived up to the true mannerisms of a Hyuga as he took to the roof with only a Hn.

Tenten, not one to be outdone, leapt after him, and he slowed just enough so that they could run side by side.

_**So like I said, not much takes place in this chapter. It will pick up at the end of the second chapter when I introduce the new enemy that our favorite twelve ninjas will have to face.**_

**_I have a couple of other Naruto stories that I never finished from last year and if anybody would like me to keep writing them just leave a comment and I'll get started on it right away!_**

**_Have a great Fourth of July!_**


	2. Disaster Party

_**Well, here is the second chapter, as promised.**_

_**Hopefully everybody is having a great Fourth of July! **_

_**Have a nice day! ;D**_

The party was booming. It had only been an hour and already some of the sensei's were swaying around and making fools of themselves. Of course their pupils weren't fairing much better, and they were sober. Tenten had found a nice spot along the back wall, just barely visible due to the pulsing lights. Her eyes roamed over the many familiar faces, and she swore she would never be able to take half of them seriously again.

Kakashi was partially under a table, his Make Out Paradise book in hand, giggling like a little girl on Christmas morning. Asuma and Kurenai were currently doing things while dancing that should have been left behind closed doors, especially with all of the impressionable minds standing around (coughNarutocough). She couldn't really say anything about Guy-sensei because, well, he already acted like an over-dramatic, youth-filled child on a daily basis. Tsunade had long ago disappeared from her perch by the bar table, leaving with a very smug Jiraiya as he tried to stop his nosebleed.

Luckily not everyone's minds had been warped by the party. Sasuke appeared perfectly normal as he glared at any girl who approached him. The only one not scared away by his dark onyx gaze was his pink haired teammate, who seemed very content with just standing near him, arms touching. Tenten couldn't be sure whether the lights were causing her eyes to play tricks on her, but she could have sworn that the Uchiha looked a bit flushed in the face.

Shikamaru, however, did not appear to be so lucky. Tenten remembered seeing him walk in half an hour late and immediately finding an empty table to lay his head on. Unfortunately for him, Tenten wasn't the only one who noticed his presence. The moment his head hit the table, an angry blonde appeared next to him, ready to dance, and she wasn't taking no (or troublesome) for an answer.

And then there was her close friend Hinata, who would normally blend into the crowd. Tenten smiled as she watched none other than Naruto Uzumaki coax her to join him out on the dance floor. Hinata had never looked so happy in her life as Naruto circled her as he danced. Slowly, the music took over, and her body began swaying gracefully to the tune, causing Naruto to laugh loudly and grab her hands as they continued to move to the beat.

There was only one person who appeared to be absent from the crowd. Tenten scanned over the numerous faces over and over, but she couldn't find his piercing white eyes. After arriving at the party, her friends had swept her away for some more girl time, and she had not been able to find him since. Normally, at events such as these, the two would be found standing along the wall, side by side, but today she was the lone figure.

"Tenten, youthful flower of our team, you must come join the party! A lady should never be left alone, so I shall accompany you in a dance of youth! Guy-sensei, I will make you proud!" Tenten sweat dropped as Lee had tears gushing down his face, but she gave into his request, allowing him to grab hold of her hand and drag her towards the other dancing ninjas. If she had to be here, then the least she could do was let loose and have some fun.

Three songs later and Tenten was staring longingly over at her wall. Lee though a perfect gentleman, had turned dancing into a new form of training. Rather than moving to the music, he chose to perform one tai-justu move after another, in rapid succession. The attention that Tenten had so desperately wished to escape earlier now found its way back in her direction. At this point, she would gladly welcome any excuse to leave the confines of Lee's 'dancing.'

As if reading her mind, a boy, probably a few years older than her, stepped foreword, causing Lee to abruptly stop flaying his limbs around, and requested to step in and dance with her. As he directed her over towards the edge of the dance floor, Tenten felt nothing but relief. And then the song changed. The tempo slowed, the flashing lights stopped, the dazzling sparkles from the disco ball reflected off of every surface, and two hands landed on her waist.

Tensing immediately, she swung her head to face this stranger as her hand dove into her hair, retrieving a senbon which immediately found its way into his neck. Or at least it would have if not for the strong grip on her wrist, the needle just centimeters away from the stranger's neck.

"I-I was just try-trying to dance with you." Tenten immediately realized her mistake as she took in her savior's wide, fearful eyes. But then her gaze fell to the hand gripping her, feeling tingles travel up her arm. She followed the length of the arm up to the stone-cold face of Neji Hyuga. His eyes were directed away from her, boring into the shaking young man who still had yet to remove his hands from her person.

"I'll take it from here. You are dismissed." Tenten was slightly shocked from the anger resonating in his voice. She hadn't heard him talk like that since Naruto beat him during their first Chunin exam. But sure enough, his eyes were hardened, his other hand balled into a fist at his side. For whatever reason, Neji seemed to hate this person. She racked her brain, trying to figure out why Neji would dislike the total stranger who looked about ready to pee his pants, but nothing came to mind.

The hands dropped away from her waist, and the boy backed away slowly before disappearing completely into the crowd. Luckily, everyone else seemed completely oblivious to the little incident that took place. Finally realizing, that the tingles along her arm had stopped, Tenten looked back to her teammate, slipping the senbon smoothly into her hair.

"I suppose I should have guessed that you wouldn't be able to resist bringing at least one of your weapons."

Tenten giggles a bit, glad that whatever anger within Neji had diffused with the boy's disappearance. "Oh this isn't my only one. There are about five senbon sewn into the dress, two in my hair, along with three kunai strapped to each thigh, a spike in the bottom of the heels, and paper bombs lining the entirety of the inside of the dress. And of course, my personal favorite, I coated the nail polish with a paralysis poison which enters the bloodstream and takes effect immediately."

She smiled gleefully at the Hyuga's surprised gaze. "And to think the only weapon I brought was a kunai tucked into my jacket pocket. They certainly don't call you Konoha's Weapon Mistress for nothing." Tenten's heart sped up as she faintly detected another compliment, two in one day. She was especially baffled when he stepped forward, setting her hands upon his shoulders, and placing his hands on her sides. "People are beginning to stare." He whispered under his breath.

Gradually Tenten grew to like the slight warmness she could feel through her dress where his hands were, and she especially enjoyed to silence that fell over them as they quietly enjoyed the other's presence. All too soon, the song ended, and Neji slowly retracted his hands, as did she, though neither of them stepped apart.

"Yo, Neji! Bought time you asked her to dance! It was starting to get a little creepy with you just staring at her from across the room." Naruto, completely oblivious to the two friends' darkening faces, gleefully patted both on the back. "Anyways, I promised Hinata that I'd- umph."

In the blink of an eye, the shining smile on Naruto's face fell away, and an arrow had driven a hole through his shoulder. Tenten faintly picked up on a terrified Hinata pushing through the crowd, headed in their direction. Then a scream erupted in the corner of the room. Sasuke had a similar arrow through his shoulder, and a desperate Sakura was screaming his name over and over.

"SHIKA! SHIKAMARU!" Ino's ear deafening cries resonated off of every surface, creating an eerie echo.

Silence was thick, no one seemed able to comprehend the unknown situation that had arisen during such a great party. Even the always calm Neji Hyuga was panting heavily…in fact, his loud, erratic breathing was the loudest sound in the room. Tenten's head swung back to her teammate to see blood. Being in such close proximity, the only thing that registered in Tenten's mind was the blood dripping from the gold arrow; the blood splattered on the dress Neji had picked just for her; the blood staining the pristine white of the Hyuga's suit.

Then, all at once, the arrow split into four directions, taking the shape of a grappling hook, before the slack was pulled tight and all four prodigies went flying through the wall in the blink of an eye. Those sober enough to process what had just taken place flew into a frenzy, trying to organize some kind of retrieval amongst the chaos.

Only Tenten noticed the lone figure of the stranger who she had almost stabbed moments before slip through the hole in the wall and disappear into the night.

And thus, the pursuit began.

_**Hopefully that wasn't too bad. It sounds a bit rushed to me, but I don't know how to fix that.**_

_**I'll probably have Chapter three up in the next couple of days.**_


End file.
